LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Following Odion Ighalo’s recent addition of the Saudi King’s Cup gold medal to his collection of awards, Anthony Nlebem recounts the striker’s upbringing in the Lagos slum.
Who would have imagined that a child named Ajegunle, who was born and raised in the Lagos ghetto, would one day become one of the most famous football players in all of Africa?
Odion Ighalo, one of Nigeria’s most successful footballers during the past ten years, is a good example of this.
After a career in Europe that saw him play top-flight football for clubs in China, Norway, Italy, Spain, and England, as well as Al Hilal, the attacker is now a member of the Saudi Arabian giants.

The 33-year-old’s ascent to the top of world football has been a difficult one for him; it’s been a tale of unwavering resolve, toil, and the will to win that has brought him his most recent prize, the King’s Cup in oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
The journey from the Lagos slums to winning the King’s Cup gold medal in Saudi Arabia wasn’t going to be simple for Paul Ighalo, who was born to a baker father and a small-time merchant mother.
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Undoubtedly, it was always going to be difficult to survive in the impoverished community of Ajegunle, where drug use and a life of crime were the norm for young people.
The footballer admits a close shave with death in his neigbourhood, while playing for his first club Olodi Warriors at the famed ‘Maracana Stadium.’
“We had bad gangs going into the ghetto, taking marijuana and all that. I remember when we were training some people who stole would have to cross through the field and police were shooting guns,” Ighalo told CNN.
“We had to run and bend down because a stray bullet can hit anybody. I was young then — I was so afraid that day.”
He spent time with Prime FC of Osogbo and the defunct Julius Berger after leaving Olodi Warriors before moving to Norway to play for Lyn Oslo in 2007.
Ighalo only spent one season in the Scandinavian nation, but his remarkable numbers grabbed the attention of scouts from Italian Serie A team Udinese in 2008.
Although he only played in six league games and scored one goal in the 2008–09 season, he had a difficult time adjusting to life in Italy’s competitive top division.
For the following four seasons, he was loaned out to sister teams Granada (twice), Watford (once), and Cesena.
Ighalo’s career made its way back to the correct road as a result of the loan transfer to Watford in the Championship during the 2014–15 season.
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Just one day after Ighalo was eventually released from parent club Udinese, the Hornets signed him to a permanent contract after he scored three goals in his first four starts in the English second division.
He scored four goals in the second half and was named Man of the Match in a 7-2 home victory over Blackpool exactly three months later.
On February 10, 2015, he scored a brace to help his club rally from a goal down to defeat Brentford 2-1, bringing his league total to 14.
Ighalo carried on from where he left off in the Championship, scoring on his EPL debut on August 8, 2015, coming on for José Manuel Jurado 16 minutes from time to give the visitors a 2-1 lead in a final score of 2-2 against Everton for the season opener.
His goals propelled Hornets back to the Premier League the following season after an eight-year absence.

On October 31, he scored twice in a 2-0 home victory over West Ham United, giving him seven goals for the year. After just 11 games, he had surpassed every other club’s record for club goals scored.
Then, on January 31, 2020, he would experience a pivotal milestone in the history of his career as he became the first Nigerian to sign for the Red Devils after being loaned out by Shenhua to assist the struggling English giants with their pressing issues.
The Lagos-native, who grew up cheering for United and harbored dreams of playing for them, considered it a dream move.
“It was very dramatic,” he told the United website. “My agent called me the day before and said Man United … A few other clubs had shown interest”, so I said, ‘Please, just pick United, if it’s going to be possible.’
“At 11pm in Shanghai, my agent called me (to say) that United wanted to do the deal… I didn’t sleep throughout that night.
“There was paperwork, negotiating and all that … So, we are talking and other teams are calling them, wanting me, but I told my agent that this is what I want. I want to come here.
He said, ‘You’re going to get a pay cut to go to United’. I said I don’t care. Make this deal happen. I want to go to United. I don’t care how much the pay is cut… make it happen.”
Ighalo continued, “I contacted my mom, and she was pleased, crying, saying, ‘This is your dream, and I’m happy for you.’ Dramatic, was it not? When we eventually completed the deal, I was overjoyed.
He later departed United in January 2021 to join the Saudi Arabian team Al-Shabab after making five goals in 23 appearances for United in all competitions, but the memory of his stint at Old Trafford stuck.
“I’m very proud because playing for Manchester United has raised my profile and people are now talking about me more,” he told Sky Sports.
“Going back to Nigeria, people still want Manchester United jerseys today, even though I am not playing for Manchester United anymore!
“Sometimes I have to order some shirts from Manchester to give to people over there – that’s how big and how privileged I am to play for such a great club.
“Being the first Nigerian to play for Manchester United is great. If I keep talking about it, then I will get emotional, I’m just so happy.”
Another pivotal moment in his career would come with his transfer to Saudi Arabia.
In the 2021/22 season, 17 years after the start of his professional career, he captured his first league championship at Al Shabab.
Ighalo helped Al Shaban win the championship and the top scorer award with his 22 league goals.
After the historic title triumph, Ighalo posted on Twitter, “Thank God for a successful season.“
He moved on to Al Hilal the following year, where he finished with 24 goals to lead the league in scoring.
But he completed the campaign with a King’s Cup victory in front of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was present at the game on King Salman’s behalf.
At King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Al Hilal defeated Al Wehda on penalties to win the trophy. The Crown Prince presented the trophy and gold medals to the champions and runners-up.
However, it was a hard fight that ended after 120 minutes, leaving Al Wehda to wonder what could have been after coming agonizingly close to returning the trophy to Makkah for the first time since 1966.
Al-Hilal had already lost two championship games this year, in the Asian Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup, and they were just seconds away from losing a third when Al Wehda took the lead 10 minutes before halftime thanks to a goal from French midfielder Karim Yoda.
Nevertheless, the Riyadh team tied the score with 99 minutes remaining to force extra time and penalties, where their goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf saved two of them, accomplished a critical save before scoring the winning goal.
After Ighalo, a substitute, missed his penalty attempt, it didn’t matter how he scored the subsequent penalty.
In front of the Saudi Crown Prince, he received his most recent trophy, which he will treasure for a very long time.
Ighalo deserves to win the King’s Cup without a doubt.